By Amy Van Veen (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: November 2, 2011
9180 Glover Road,
Fort Langley, BC
604.881.1193
Prices: up to $5.10 (not including cooler packs of gelato)
Hours: 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
The weather is getting colder, rumours of snow drift up from south of the border and the only appropriate dessert choice seems to be gelato.
Of course this isn’t the only appropriate dessert choice and many will argue that should not be a choice at all after the summer days come to an end. Gelato should be something slowly enjoyed while the sun beats down or walking on a beach or down the pier, they say; it shouldn’t be something nibbled on while the mercury drops and sweaters pile on.
To those naysayers, I say, nay!
Gelato is something that can be savoured any time of the year and, let’s be honest, it’s a Vancouver autumn. Not exactly prairie cold or East Coast snow drifts. We put on our scarves, our rain boots and our parkas and enjoy that crisp Jack Frost as he nibbles at our nose. And then we go inside our toasty warm houses and burn up.
What’s wrong with warming up by cooling down? While hot cocoa and apple cider have their place, the many flavours to be found at Maria’s Gelato in Fort Langley tempt all kinds. Fruit flavours? Of course. Ferrero Rocher? Delicious. Terrifyingly blue Smurf flavour? Why not! My favourite, though, would have to be the Speculaas, which is, for any non-Dutch reading, traditionally considered a wintertime cookie made with the cold weather spices such as nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger and the like.
Located right beside Café Planet Java on Glover Road, Maria’s Gelato draws customers in with its giant ice cream figure outside the door and its array of flavourful colours lining the coolers. With a sincere smile, I was passed a tiny bowl of creamy coffee goodness.
There’s something about Fort Langley that beckons a simpler era. As soon as Glover goes over the freeway, time seems to get a little calmer, provided you avoid weekends and Cranberry Festival time, since this calm vibe is high in demand for the surrounding suburban chaos. It’s obvious that the Lower Mainland is growing in population and more and more becoming the outskirts of a big city, but precious little Fort Langley still has its small-town charms (even with the recent riverside development). There’s, of course, the antique mall, the knitting store, the confectionary (also known as a candy store), the coffee shops, the bistros, the knick-knack shops, and the toy store with its Radio Flyers parked out front.
Much to the chagrin of shop owners, I admit I am one of the many window-peeking, candle-smelling, blanket-touching browsers who amiably walks in and out of stores enjoying nothing more than the atmosphere. Maria’s, though, is the kind of place where my wallet finds the cash register and my fingers grasp the laughably small spoon.
So be it blueberry or blackberry, Toblerone or coffee, even as the weather turns cold, Maria’s Gelato will still be a spot for me with its cramped seating area, tiny cutlery and prime people watching on Fort Langley’s main street.
